“If the Bill only banned gay conversion therapy, I would have supported it with great enthusiasm.”
Statement re Clifford Hayes MPs’ conscience vote on gay conversion therapy
As an independent community movement with a science and evidence-based approach to policy, both Clifford Hayes MP and Sustainable Australia Party (SAP) support the abolition of so-called ‘gay conversion therapy’.
This point was lost on some however due to a recent independent ‘conscience vote’* on Victoria’s ‘Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition’ Bill by Mr Hayes, in which he stated:
“I, like most reasonable people, am vehemently opposed to non-consensual and invasive conversion techniques... Deliberately pressuring an individual to identify as or forcefully persuading them to prefer a specific gender or sexual orientation is absolutely abhorrent, and I praise the government for attempting to outlaw these kinds of practices. Any sort of conversion against someone’s will should be banned. However, as we have seen before with government legislation that comes to this house, we are again faced with an overreach. Once again we are faced with a bill which has come to Parliament with inadequate public discussion, particularly empowered consultation, before it was finally drafted. In this bill I believe the good—and there is good—is outweighed by the bad…
“In conclusion, we warmly support our LGBTIQ+ community. However, due to the overreach of this bill… we are concerned about the draconian powers to be given to the human rights commission; parents being silenced in talks with their children; faith-based prayer being banned; the danger of misdiagnosis, as in the UK Bell v. Tavistock case; the risks of mental illness and child abuse not being diagnosed; and the prohibition of free choice for everyone in the LGBTIQ+ community. I am unwilling to support the bill in its present form. I will support amendments, but the bill should be withdrawn and redrafted.”**
Mr Hayes also stated that:
“If the Bill only banned gay conversion therapy, I would have supported it with great enthusiasm.”
Unfortunately in the view of the Sustainable Australia Party, Mr Hayes’ independent conscience vote against what was admittedly a complex bill was a case of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. We acknowledge that Mr Hayes voted for amendments that would have, if successfully passed, allayed his concerns about overreach and sees him vote for the bill including the abolition of gay conversion therapy. This disappointment was expressed directly to Mr Hayes by Sustainable Australia Party HQ, who accepted the feedback and agreed to better consult with SAP HQ on matters of conscience going forward.
Sustainable Australia Party is pleased to see the abolition of so-called ‘gay conversion therapy’ in Victoria. Sustainable Australia Party rejects assertions from some political opponents that claim Clifford’s independent conscience vote on the bill suggests anything to the contrary. | ENDS
Statement on behalf of the National Committee,
Sustainable Australia Party HQ
*One of Parliament’s key functions involves members voting on issues to enact laws. Usually, these members are expected to vote according to the position chosen by their political party. But, on issues of moral or social significance, parties will sometimes allow their members to vote freely, based on their own views and those of their constituency. This is known as a conscience vote, or a free vote.
**Link to Mr Hayes’ speech in Hansard:
https://hansard.parliament.vic.gov.au/isysquery/53581920-537a-4460-abca-3ee9a6c13671/1/doc/
***Link to Mr Hayes’ later Facebook post: